Euology

[zimzam]

I have been asked to read John Donne's poem at a funeral. My problem is in knowing where to pause and where to continue one line into another. Can anyone help me please with the proverbial using the dot's as a pause for my narration?

The poem is:-

from THE HOLY SONNETS, by John Donne

Death, be not proud

1 Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
2 Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
3 For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
4 Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
5 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
6 Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
7 And soonest our best men with thee do go,
8 Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
9 Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
10 And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
11 And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
12 And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
13 One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
14 And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.


Now, as far as I would read/say it it would be:-

Death..be NOT proud..... though some have called thee
mighty and dreadful.... for thou art NOT so!


and so on. But to compliment Donne's poem I really do need to pause at the appropriate places and I am a bit stuck as to know quite where I should pause.

So, can anyone here....help me ....in rewriting the poem so I pause...just where I should pause....to get the effect just right?

[Octavius]

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/sonne t10.htm

[zimzam]

Well thank you Octavius but that link shows exactly what I have shared here. Did you mean the download to hear how it's said? sorry but I am completely deaf so I can't use the heard word. I need someone to rewrite it with a few .......'s as a pause.

[Octavius]

, = slight pause
; = slightly longer pause

[zimzam]

That I can understand and follow. Thank you ! (Wish me luck as I am dreading next week)